Chapter 8

Nothing But Darkness

Hearing the anti-tank rocket contact with the LAAV Wart hog, and the subsequent rocking of the earth following the explosion, my mind immediately kicked into combat mode as my body awoke and I became aware of the fire fight that had been raging for five minutes before I came to. "Hey asshole, you can sleep through anything can't you?" Gaige asked me. "You stupid little girl, what are you doing here?" I said popping half a clip in the direction the bullets were coming from.

I grabbed her and drug her behind a scorpion, crouching I peeked over the caterpillar tracks and felt a fifty cal round whiz past my head. "I came to help, whether you like it or not, I'm good in combat." I shook my head, not in a position to argue I smiled and said, "Fine, but you die? And I will not mourn you." Kind of rude but it got my point across as she smiled and quipped, "I wouldn't either."

"Get fire on that embankment!" I hollered, motioning at a machine gun post fifty yards ahead of us. The scorpion I was marching behind rang out as it fired an incendiary shell and blew the sand bags apart, as well as the gunner and igniting everything that was left.

I lit a cigarette and continued marching, looking down at Gaige I asked, "How'd you get involved as a merc any ways?" She grinned, "It pays better than your shabby little military position." She quipped. "Touché." I said just as her jaw dropped and I felt the searing heat in my shoulder. I looked down, "Sniper round hit me. Fuck." I said calmly as everything faded black.

"Hey! You in there! Michaelson!" I heard Maya's voice, bringing me back from the cold darkness that was somewhere between death and the world. "Don't you dare die on me now you crazy fucker!" I felt her hand hit my face. "Ouch you bitch!" I said sitting up right.

Remembering what happened I looked at my left shoulder, only it wasn't there. No shoulder, No arm, No hand. "It actually happened." I said solemnly. "We're going to fix that." I looked over and saw Gaige walking next to the gurney I was on. "Now just lay down and relax." She said pushing a syringe of what I hoped was an anesthetic into the IV that ran into my stump. Feeling it start to kick in as I became woozy, I grabbed Maya and kissed her, whispering "I Love you" Before I blacked out again and slumped onto the gurney.

The next three days were and still are a blur of nurses, doctors, Maya never leaving my bed side. When I finally came to and became fully lucid I sat up sleepily and rubbed my face with my left hand out of habit. Then I remembered my injuries and my eyes flew wide open as I felt the cold metallic skin. I looked around the room but Maya wasn't there. I starred at the robotic prosthesis for a good five minutes before Maya returned.

"It looks so real." I said as the battle replayed in my head over and over, each time I remembered my arm being blown off by a sniper's bullet. "Gaige does a hell of a good job with mech parts." She replied handing me a cup of coffee. I threw back my head and guzzled the warm, bitter, delicious substance. I pulled my IVs out and stood up, still a little off kilter. I stumbled to my bag that had been set by the door.

"Who, what are you doing?" Maya asked me. "Getting dressed, this hospital gown is too little. How many days was I out?" I asked her. "Four including today. What are you planning?" She asked. "I need to get back out there." I said. "We need that warrior to take down the covenant." I said strapping on my combat gear and loading a fresh mad into my rifle and cocking my side arm.

"Fresh BDUs and my rifle back in my hands." I said smiling. Maya blocked the door. "Michaelson, we won, Handsome Jack agreed to help us." I stopped in my tracks, frozen by her statement. "Well, he killed Roland, so all of the vault hunters strung him up and beat him within an inch of his life." I smiled and became suddenly aware of the fact I hadn't had a smoke in four days so I fished one out of my vest and lit it, inhaling and rejoicing at the rush of a nicotine flood to my brain.

A nurse walked in, "This is a hospital! You can't smoke in here." She said gently but stern. "So crack a window, I just woke up from a three day coma with a robot arm where my real one should be." I said continuing to smoke. She shook her head and opened the window, leaving in a huff. "I love you too." Maya said quietly obviously she'd been waiting for the nurse to leave to say that.

I smiled and kissed her, "Good because I thought I was about to die and I wouldn't be missed." I hugged her tightly. I sat down and finished my cigarette as Gaige walked in. "Ah good, my greatest accomplishment is awake." I stood up and walked over to her, ruffled her hair. "Greatest kid I've ever met." She kicked me in the shins. "Girl I've been in more combat scenarios than you can imagine, you'll have to do a lot better than that." At that she smiled and hugged me. "Uh, I umm. Well." I stuttered. "We all thought you were dead." She said pushing her face into my abs.

I pushed her away, "Ok kid, I didn't. So enough of the mushy stuff." I said trying to hide my blood red face. Maya and Gaige broke out into laughter. "The battle hardened soldier has been reduced to blushing!" Gaige said through her laughing. I sat down and smiled, never though I'd grow attached to anybody. "Ok but we've got important work to do." I said standing up and walking towards the door."

We left the room, A combat veteran, a grown woman, and a child, we looked like the most rag tag family ever. Stepping out side, I smiled at the warmth of the sun on my face. "Gotta find the Chief, see how close the covenant are." I said as I lit another cigarette and wrestled a little with the idea of a fake arm.

Then Maya elbowed me and asked, "What was it like? To be dead I mean." I let my head fall a little bit. "It was dark, and cold. All I could think about was How am I going to get back to that sweet, loving woman, Maya?" She punched me in the arm, "Sweet and loving my ass." She said smiling. I shook my head, "But in all seriousness, It was nothing but darkness."